Wilson's Phalarope

Wilson’s Phalarope Facts

A large flock of Wilson’s Phalaropes has been at the Refuge for several weeks, to the enjoyment of the Refuge visitors.  Here are some facts about Wilson’s Phalarope, from Audubon  and the NationalZoo/Smithsonian Park websites:

Wilson’s Phalarope, Phalaropus tricolor,  is named after the great early American ornithologist, Alexander Wilson , and is the only one of the three phalarope species confined to the New World.

Wilson's Phalarope  is a slender, delicately built shorebird with a small head, and thin, pointed bill; medium-sized shorebird averaging 2.1 ounces in weight and 8.5 inches in length, with pointed wings that span 17 inches.

Females are substantially larger and can weigh as much as 40% more than males.

In winter, both sexes have grey-white plumage.

Breeding females (photo below) -  colorful, with a gray cap, white eyebrow, and dark crimson mask that extends from the bill to the back of the head and then swoops down the nape toward the back. The throat is white; a rusty wash colors the neck and chest, otherwise whitish below and grey above.

Breeding males (photo below) - pale grey above and whitish below, with a light rusty wash on the nape of the neck.

Winter range – from Peru  to the tip of South America

Breeding range -  Great Plains of North America

Feeding – a number of Refuge visitors have commented on the Phalarope’s spinning behavior during feeding.  Note circular ripples in the photo of the female phalarope.  “Like other phalaropes, the Wilson's often spins in the water, at speeds of up to 60 turns per minute. The purpose of this whirling behavior may be to churn the muddy bottom, excite small aquatic creatures, and condense them in the swirls, where they can be picked off the surface. Wilson's phalaropes consume flies, beetles, brine shrimp, and other tiny marine creatures."

Reproduction – sexual roles are reversed with the female displaying bright plumage and aggressively  courting males They often mate with more than one male, have more than one nest and, after egg-laying, they leave their families to the sole care of the males.

The female lays four eggs; incubation time is 18 – 27 days. The young are fully feathered and  can walk, swim, and feed independently within an hour after hatching, but require brooding to keep them warm.

After the breeding season , Wilson’s Phalaropes are one of the few birds to undergo a post-breeding, molt migration, traveling to large western lakes in the US to molt and build up fat reserves for the 54 hours flight to South America.   According to  The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, they can gain up to 55% of their body mass at this time; some become too fat to walk, and have to "take off" swimming.  

Photos taken at Hagerman NWR by Dick Malnory

Join the 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count

(Information in this post is from Cornell Lab of Ornithology, http://www.birds.cornell.edu/)

You can help count the birds! February 18 - 21 are the dates for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count this year. The count is coordinated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Bird Studies Canada, and all interested persons - people of all ages and skill levels - can help by counting birds in their yards, neighborhoods, or other locations across the U. S. and Canada.

Cornell’s instructions are to simply tally birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count, then go to http://www.birdcount.org and enter the highest number of each species seen at any one time.

Cornell states that numbers submitted to Cornell provide an instantaneous snapshot of birdlife across the continent for all to see, and that you can watch as the tallies come in at http://www.birdcount.org.

“Whether people observe birds in backyards, parks, or wilderness areas, the Great Backyard Bird Count is an opportunity to share their results at http://www.birdcount.org,” said Judy Braus, Audubon’s vice president of Education and Centers. “It’s fun and rewarding for people of all ages and skill levels--and it gets people outside!”

“When thousands of people all tell us what they’re seeing, we can detect changes in birds’ numbers and locations from year to year,” said Dr. Janis Dickinson, director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Information, including bird-ID tips, instructions, and past results, is available at http://www.birdcount.org. For photographers, the count also includes a photo contest.

For more information about birds at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, please see the official Refuge website, http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/hagerman/index.html and for information about events and activities of the Friends of Hagerman, as well as many bird photos, visit http://www.friendsofhagerman.com.

Photo, Female Red-winged Blackbird, by Donna Niemann.